Heating pad



Jan. 8, 1929. 1,698,703

H. F. GAU HEATING 1 w Filed Dec. 13. .1926

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. I Patented Jan. 8, 192 9. I I

UNITED; STATES PATENT.

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HEATING ran.

' This invention relates to heating pads, particularly such heating padsas are used or heatin beds of the sick or" those deficient in naturalheat, or for general use. The invention presents an arrangement .ofparts which overcomes many disadvantagespf other heating pads and addsgreatly 1 to the efliciency of the heating combination as well asincreasing the comfort of the user.

It is my purpose in this invention to provide direct heat to the body,there being no covering or coating directly on the heating elementitself,'the heating element sending its heat rays directly to the bodysupplying 1:, thereby a more energizing heat.

Means are also provided to direct the heat upward and to preventdownward radiation,

and thereby use to the eatest extent, the heat energy produced.

cans are also pro- '20 vided to supply this heat in a-particular 'zoneof the'bed as may be found most desirable as well as necessary andeflicientl Means are also provided whereby the vari- 'ouszones of heatmay be made efiective, either singly or together, the'zone of heat beingunder control of the user in such a manner that either of the severalzones may i be made effective,

tive, and any single zone or all may be discontinued or cut ofi, asfound necessary.

. In the drawing; Fisgli 1, is a perspective view of the warming padowing three heatin zones,

in arrangement,

Fig. 2, isa diagrammatic view of the wirh and Fig. 4,-is a perspectiveview of a portidn of one' of the heating tubes the heating ele- 4o menttherein. The pad 1 is: made up of a base 2 upon which are mounted, inany suitable manner, the several sets of heating tubes'marked 3,4, and5, and within which are the heating ele- 5 ments or wires 6, hand 8.

v The pad may be dividedinto two parts,- the part 12 which extends fromthe end marked 9 to the dotted line 10 and is covered by thelpillow,'and the part 13 which extends e line 10 to the end marked14,'uppn which the bodyrests. 4

The base2 may be of'any suitableheatinsulating material, such asasbestos cloth, u on this base 2, l6 and between thelin'e' 10 and t c 8151 4, I provide the perforated heating tubes 6, 7, amil .8,

the end 14, and each consists of a or all may be made efiec- 1 ig. 3, 1sa section on line "-3- -3- of Fig. 1,

secured to the base 2 in any suitable manner,

.ing tubes 3, 4, and 5 are made of bakelite or kindred non-conductingmaterial, being sufficiently rigid to revent collapsing under the weightof the body and at the same time flexible enough to yield somewhat toconform to the bod and inside these tubes I provide heating elements 6,7, and 8 usually in the form of wire. I v 4 The central group of thesetubes marked 3 extends from the line 10 to a point near the foot andconsists of a plurality of perforated 7 tubes 3, Fig. 4, through whicha, heating element 6 passes, being cont uous from the point 18 throughthe severa rows of tubes to the oint 19. W

T e two side groups 5, 5, extend from the 7 line 10- about two-thirds ofthe distance to lurality of perforated tubes through whic pass theheating elements 8, .8, being continuous through the several tubes frompoint 20 to point 21, and from point 22 to point 23, these side groups5, 5, being adapted to-act together. v

On each side of the group 3 and between this group and the side groups5, 5, I place intermediate groups 4, 4, extending from line i 10 to apoint near the foot 14, these groups like roups 3 and 5 are made up of aseries of tulies perforated on their upper side and tirely through thetubes being continuous through one section 4, from point-24 to point 25and through the other section 4, from point 26 to point 27. Electriccurrent from a suitable source is 95 supplied through a multiple switch31 from t e wires 32 and 33, and a lead wire 30 from, the switch 31connects the wire 32 to-the heating element 6at the point 18, a leadwire 35 connects the switch 34 of the multiple switch 1 0 31, to theheating elements 6 at the point 19., the switch 34 being adapted to formelectrical connection between the lead wire 35 and the sup 1y wire 33thereby closing-the circuit of the heating element 6 to make itoperative. I 101i A lead wire'38 from the switch 37 is connected to onepart of the heating element 8 at.

'23, the cross connecting wire 39: connecting element 8 at 21 to thelead wire 30, and thereaving heating elements 7, 7 ,which pass enby tothe supply wire 32, the switch '37 being adapted to close the circuitthrough the heating elements 8, to thereby render them operative.

A lead wire 42 connects the switch 36 with one section of the heatingelement 7 at point 25, and a cross connecting wire 43 connected to thispart of the heating element 7 at point 24, is connected to the otherpart of the heating element 7 at 27, the free end of the heating element7 being connected at 26 to a lead wire 41, which in turn is connected tolead -wire 30, and thereby'to supply wire 32,

The switch 36 is adapted to, connect the lead wire 42 with the supplywire 33 thereby closing the electrical circuit through heating elements7 and rendering them operative.

The lead wires 30, 35, 38, 42, 40 and 41,be-

' ing properly insulated are partially embedded in that'portion of thepad between the line 10 and the end 9, while the lead wires 40 and '41,together with the cross connecting wires 39 and 43, being properlyinsulated are entirely embedded in that portion of the pad,

between the line 10 and the end 9.

Between the tubes of the several sections, and on that portion of thepad which is not traversed by the tubes, I provide a filler of asbestos,wool, felt, or equivalent material which is secured to the base 2 in anysuitable manner. A

In operation I place the pad on a bed, with the end 9 to the head andthe end 14 to the foot thereof, the pillow occupying the space betweenline 10 and end 9, the sleeper resting upon the pad 1, and one or moreof the switches 34, 36, 37 closed, whereby suflicient heat will besupplied through the tubes to- 'provide comfort and protect the sleeperagainst being chilled, making very light cover suflicient and therebyadding greatly to the rest of the sleeper.

. It will be understood that I have eirplained one system" of tubes,wiring and switches, and

' any other system may be used, as .there are .many wiring and switchsystems known in the art. The groups .of tubing may be distributed onthe padin any form and location, or one unit system may be used by me;and various areas thereof be heated as may be i needed for the specificpurpose for which the 1. A heating pad comprising a base, a tube ofinsulating material resting on the base,

capable of flexing longitudinally, and having suflicient rigidity toprevent collapsing of the same, and an electric heating element arrangedin the tube,'the tube being perforated along one side to permit theradiation of heat through the wall of the same, the remainder of thetube being imperforate.

2. A heating padcomprising a flexible sheet of insulating materialforming a base, a substantially rigid tube of insulating materialsecured to the base and extending back and forth over the base toprovide a tortuous chamber, said tube having unobstructed perforationson its upper side, and the remainder of the tube being imperforate, alayer of In- .sulating material arranged'on the base and of a thicknessequal to the diameter 'of the tube, said filling material being arrangedon opposite sides of the tube, and an electric heating element arranged,in said chamber.

3. A heating pad comprising a sheet-like structure, a number of tubes ofinsulating material arranged on the upper side of said structure andea'ch,extending back and-forth over a portion of the'structure, saidtubes bee-.185

ing perforated, a separateele ctricheating element foreach of saidtu'beakandvmeansfor furnishing current to any'oneof saidhcating elementsindependently of the other elements. In testimony whereof, I aflix mysignature at Cincinnati, Ohio, this 30th day of November, 1926. I

HENRY F. GAU.

